Pergi

Pergi is a common verb in Indonesian and Malay meaning to go or to leave. It denotes movement away from the speaker’s current location or from a referenced place. In both languages, pergi is intransitive and does not require a direct object, though it is often followed by a destination phrase introduced by ke (for example, ke sekolah, ke kantor).

Tense and aspect are expressed with auxiliary words and time expressions rather than verb conjugation. Indonesian and Malay use phrases such as akan pergi (will go), sedang pergi (is going), sudah pergi (has gone/left), and belum pergi (has not gone yet). These constructions help indicate future, present, or completed action without changing the base form of pergi.

Imperative and negation are common senses of the word. Pergi can function as an imperative meaning go! In more polite usage, the form Pergilah can be used as a softened command. Negation is formed with tidak pergi or jangan pergi for prohibitions, with jangan often marking a prohibition similar to do not.

Common collocations include pergi ke [place] to specify destination, pergi bersama-sama (go together), and pergi sekarang (go now). Pergi is often contrasted with pulang, which means to return home, or kembali, to come back.

Etymology traces to the Malay languages and shared Austronesian roots, with equivalent forms in Indonesian and Malay. The word is widely understood across Malay-speaking communities and is essential for expressing motion, travel, and departure.